Politicians say the Westside represents affluence, awareness and generosity. : Fund-Raisers Flock to the Promised Land

The party had all the trappings of a society benefit. The trendy Scratch restaurant on Main Street in Santa Monica was the setting. More than 500 business and community leaders were guests. And Wolfgang Puck and other celebrity chefs, who prepared specialties such as oysters with caviar, boiled crawfish and flourless fudge cake, were the draw.

At $100 a ticket, the party netted more than $50,000. Not an impressive amount on the Westside, where fund-raising is almost an industry. More remarkable was the beneficiary--a candidate for reelection to a local city council seat--and the fact his election was more than a year away.

Santa Monica City Councilman William Jennings said Puck and the other chefs readily volunteered their time and food for his September fund-raiser. The money will go to pay for the growing cost of advertising, direct mail and other campaign expenses.

“The idea was to have something out of the ordinary,” Jennings said, “and it worked out phenomenally well. Some people might say this is overkill, but running a campaign on the Westside is expensive.”

Jennings is one of several Westside politicians collecting money for races that are still one to three years away. The politicians say that major campaign fund-raisers here, most of which are held at hotels, clubs and restaurants, have netted more than $1 million this year. And efforts are expected to intensify as next year’s state and local elections approach.

Politicians say the Westside represents a promised land of affluence, awareness and generosity. They frequently enlist the support of celebrities living in the area, pointing out that some people are more likely to contribute if they have the chance to spend an evening sitting next to Jane Fonda or sampling the creations of celebrity chefs. Celebrities, for their part, say they are happy to contribute time and money to causes they support.

“We are a big part of the community, so it’s a good thing for us to help these people,” Puck said. “If we don’t work together, nothing gets done.”

With the cost of political races escalating, however, some political analysts are critical of off-year fund-raising, calling it excessive and unfair to newcomers. At the statewide level, the Fair Political Practices Commission said last week that some non-election-year contributions constitute an attempt to influence pending legislation. It has called for a $250-limit on individual non-election-year contributions to any state legislator. Such contributions now are unlimited.

Reform advocates are not optimistic about the chances of any kind of recommendation limiting financing going anywhere. Representatives from several areas of government, including Westside-area city councils, the county Board of Supervisors and the state Assembly and Senate, argue that solicitations are necessary to wipe out debts and replenish campaign treasuries. And despite reform efforts, politicians say the number of fund-raisers is growing and the money is flowing.

Afraid of Consequences

“It’s been increasing for years,” said Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica). “I attend or contribute money to 25 or 30 fund-raisers a year. If you look at the big picture, you find that people are turning out in larger numbers and the candidates are raising more money. I think it’s because everyone fears what the consequences would be if they quit.”

Hayden, who spent a record $2 million on his 1982 campaign, raised $120,000 at a recent Century City dinner. Nearly half of Assemblyman Gray Davis’ (D-Los Angeles) $1 million-campaign chest came from a Beverly Hills dinner last spring. Assemblyman Burt Margolin (D-Los Angeles) realized about $100,000 from a benefit in May. And Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles) raised $20,000 at a recent California Yacht Club dinner in Marina del Rey.

State Sen Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara), whose district includes Malibu, raised about $250,000 in 1985, according to aides. State Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) raised $250,000 and state Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles) received $150,000 from off-year fund-raisers.

Robert M. Stern, general counsel for the California Commission on Campaign Financing, a nonprofit organization lobbying for campaign-spending reform, said most politicians feel pressured to stockpile funds.

“It’s the arms race mentality,” he said. “They’re concerned that the other side will outspend them or out fund-raise them. So they build their war chests up to an incredible amount.”

‘I Am Flattered’

In the state Assembly, Davis has traditionally outpaced other fund-raisers except the Assembly leadership. He raised about $450,000 at his annual dinner in Beverly Hills in May. Although his district includes parts of the San Fernando Valley, Davis said most of his financial support comes from the Westside.

The former aide to Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. said the contributions reflect the generosity of his constituents. “I am flattered that people on the Westside are willing to support me as generously as they have,” said Davis, whose district includes Beverly Hills. “This is a fabulous district to represent. The people here are very intelligent.”

Hayden is another successful fund-raiser. In 1983 and ’84 he raised a total of $453,958, according to campaign reports. Havi Scheindlin, director of Hayden’s fund-raising committee, said the assemblyman’s campaign chest is up to about $150,000.

Most of that money came from an Oct. 20 dinner at the Century Plaza, where Hayden’s wife, actress Jane Fonda, was master of ceremonies. For $300 each, guests were entertained by a ballroom band and served wine, roasted Cornish hen and strawberries with whipped cream.

Contributors included Herb Alpert, Edward Asner, Chevy Chase, Norman Jewison, Margot Kidder, Norman Lear, Jack Lemmon, Mike Nichols and Barbra Streisand.

Relieves Pressure

Margolin, whose district includes West Hollywood and Hollywood, raised less than Hayden and Davis but still surpassed the legislative average of $87,000 for fund-raising by about $6,000 for a total of $92,673, according to a study of 1983 campaign contributions.

About 400 people attended Margolin’s $250-a-plate dinner in May. Margolin said he likes to spread his fund-raising “burden” over a two-year period because it relieves election-year pressure.

“The fund-raising goes on longer than most of us would like,” Margolin said. “(But) I view it as an obligation of the job. I have to raise money to protect my interests.”

Stern, of the campaign financing commission, has not studied municipal campaigns but said the trend toward more off-year fund-raising appears to extend to all offices.

In Santa Monica, the cost of running for municipal office has dramatically escalated in the last 10 years. A City Council candidate could wage a serious campaign for as little as $4,500 in the mid-1970s. In next year’s election, some candidates are expected to spend as much as $100,000.

The cost started climbing in the early 1980s, when candidates became affiliated with political organizations. One group, the liberal Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, organized the city’s rent control campaign in 1979. Its members captured a majority of council seats in 1981. The other group, the moderate All Santa Monica Coalition, was formed in 1982 to oppose renter activist candidates.

The coalition outspent the renter faction $223,000 to $93,000 in 1983 and defeated its leader, Mayor Ruth Yannatta Goldway. In 1984 the coalition spent $170,000 to the renter activists’ $148,000 and gained the council majority.

Facing Reelection

Three council members affiliated with the coalition face reelection in 1986. In the past, political organizations handled most of the fund-raising and spending. But since last year, when then-Mayor Ken Edwards personally collected about $35,000, other candidates have started raising more of their own money.

Mayor Christine E. Reed made about $40,000 at a roast honoring her 10 years in public office in April. The dinner, which cost $125 a plate, attracted about 500 people. Reed said she expects to do more fund-raising next year but added that the consolidation of local, state and national elections may make it harder for Santa Monica candidates to raise money.

“We’ll be competing with guys with much more power and importance,” she said. “That’s why it’s a little better to go out and try to raise money during an off year.”

Reed and Councilman Jennings will be joined in the 1986 campaign by coalition-backed Councilman David Epstein. Councilman Alan Katz will run separately to fill the unexpired term of the late Edwards. He was recently appointed and said he has no estimates of his campaign costs.

“In 1983 most of our fund-raising was done by the coalition,” Epstein said. “I think I personally raised a few thousand dollars. (This time) I intend to raise money for a campaign that I expect to be expensive. But I won’t feel like a second-class citizen if I only raise $30,000.”

Councilmen Dennis Zane and James Conn, both affiliated with Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, do not face reelection until 1988. But their group, which hopes to win at least two additional council seats in next year’s election, staged its first fund-raiser last week with singer Bonnie Raitt as the celebrity attraction.

Raitt gave a benefit performance in honor of Zane’s birthday at the fashionable At My Place nightclub on Wilshire Boulevard. Zane said the two sold-out shows, which cost $25 a person, netted about $7,000.

Last year, guitarist Ry Cooder performed on the group’s behalf. Celebrities have been especially helpful with their fund-raising, Zane said.

Feeling of Responsibility

“When you have talent or notoriety that can be used for social causes there’s a responsibility to do something,” Zane said. “Bonnie Raitt doesn’t live in Santa Monica, but she’s supportive of our principles.”

In Beverly Hills, Charlotte Spadaro, who spent $106,700 on her election last year, holds the costliest council seat. Other Beverly Hills council candidates have spent as much as $75,000, officials said.

Mayor Edward I. Brown, who will run for reelection next year, raised $26,000 for his last election through informal parties and mailers. He estimates that he will have to spend about $32,000 in 1986. A newcomer would need about $50,000 for a serious campaign, he said.

West Hollywood’s only municipal election took place in November, 1984, when the voters approved cityhood and chose five City Council members. In that race, some candidates spent as much as $70,000. Mayor John Heilman said he hopes to limit costs in his 1986 reelection bid by running on a slate.

He estimated that he would need about $50,000 to run independently, compared to the $15,000 it would cost to run on a slate. Most West Hollywood officials raise money at small gatherings or through direct mail solicitations. He added that no single fund-raiser nets more than $10,000 to $15,000.

In less affluent Culver City, a council candidate can run a serious campaign for about $10,000, with fund-raisers tending toward more traditional potlucks and barbecues. “A really good fund-raiser will net me $800 to $1,200,” said Mayor Richard Alexander, who faces reelection next year.

County Races

Of the three county supervisors with Westside constituents, Deane Dana, whose district includes the coastline areas, has raised $412,000 this year. His next campaign is in 1988. Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, who also faces reelection in 1988 and represents parts of Culver City and other Westside communities, raised about $80,000 this year. Hahn was ill and could not be reached for comment.

Supervisor Edmund D. Edelman, whose district includes Hollywood and West Hollywood, is the only one of the three facing reelection in 1986. He is also the only one who did not have a fund-raiser this year.

“I’m not opposed to them,” Edelman said. “It just depends on what your needs are. . . . You may need an off-year fund-raiser if you don’t raise much during an election year. It’s a matter of style, I guess. I generally don’t even like to go to fund-raisers. It’s hard enough to go to my own.”

Dana, on the other hand, said fund-raising is a good way to get together with supporters.